The second most important Vincentian value is humility. The other name of humility is gratitude.
Humility has gotten bad publicity in contemporary times. People mistakenly think that humility is an enemy of mental health, destroys self-esteem and undermines healthy well-being. People think that humility means constantly debasing oneself, or thinking less of ourselves.
No, humility is not to think less of ourselves but to think of ourselves less. Humility thus means thinking more of others. There are so many others around us who make our good and lovely life possible. For this, we need to be grateful.
The familiar Filipino saying is helpful: “Parang kang langaw na nakasakay sa kalabaw.” The fly feels so high above the rest, so fast compared with others, so powerful that the wooden bridge shakes as he passes by. He forgets that it is not because of him; it is because of the big carabao.
“Humility is also about being grateful. Gratitude breeds humility. You realize everything doesn’t depend on you. Much of what happens depends on the goodness and faith of others” (Hal Donaldson).
Much of what we do, much of who we are, and much of what we have become comes from others — our parents and families, our friends and teachers, our schools and churches — above all, our God. God makes all things possible in our lives.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith,” the Bible says, “and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).
St. Vincent says: “Be very much on your guard against attributing anything to yourself. By doing so you would commit robbery and do injury to God, who alone is the author of every good thing.”
Humility means always considering that everything, every good and every grace comes from God. We have nothing to be proud of. Gratitude should be our everyday attitude.
Humility comes from the Latin word “humus,” which means soil or earth. To be attached to the earth is to be “grounded”; it is to recognize that we are beings created by God. Before we were created, the earth was already there. “We are not God. The earth was here before us,” Laudato Si’ tells us (LS 67). It is true that we are created with the dignity of the image of God, but this is God’s gift to all his creatures. “Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose” (LS 84).
Such creatureliness should make us grateful and humble. As the saints would say: “All is grace. Everything is gift.” But “humus” and creatureliness do not mean that we should be sad. Gratitude should bring to our lives a sense of joy, a sense of celebration and a sense of trust in God.
What are the concrete signs of a humble and grateful life?
There are many expressions of gratitude and humility in everyday life: appreciation of the small things in life; living with a sense of joy and thanksgiving; the ability to accept one’s mistakes and weaknesses; the capacity to receive correction from others; readiness to offer forgiveness generously; a sense of dependence on others and on God; a spirit of collaboration with people in the workplace; readiness to serve; and attentive listening to God’s voice in the ordinary events of one’s life — through friends, superiors, colleagues, poor people and the events that happen in one’s life.
What are the concrete signs of a life without gratitude?
On the contrary, the following attitudes need to grow toward humility: overdependence on the self; seeking social status, power, privilege and possessions; a sense of entitlement; ignoring the kindness and assistance of others; arrogance and aloofness; self-absorption and narcissism; unwillingness to do humble work; always talking about oneself and one’s achievements; an incapacity to admit mistakes and an inability to forgive easily; always wanting to be served; being easily hurt when not appreciated; and an inability to say “thank you.”
“May we learn to say ‘thank you’ to God and to one another. We teach children to do it, then forget to do it ourselves… Thank you is a phrase that is fundamental to life…it’s a key that opens the way to a well-lived life, to a life of peace,” Pope Francis advised.
St. Vincent tells his missionaries: “God pours out his inexhaustible gifts on the humble, those who recognize that all good done by them comes from God.”
Father Daniel Franklin Pilario, C.M., is the President of Adamson University in Manila. He is a theologian, professor, and pastor of an urban poor community on the outskirts of the Philippine capital. He is also the Vincentian Chair for Social Justice at St. John’s University in New York.
